Team Focus or Lack of it

During a sprint a team has to remain focused on the goal. So often the team gets distracted from the goal. Some of the sources of distraction are as follows:

1. Other Projects
2. Personal issues
3. Lack of hardware
4. Lack of team synergy

Other Projects

These can range from pet project from a manager to the previous project a team member was working on. Also, there always seems to be an emergency project that needs to be worked on.  All of these affect the velocity of a team and may affect if the team is able to finish the user stories it has committed to. It is important that the ScrumMaster communicates to the management and product owner how much other projects are affecting the team and when they become major impediments. I my role as a ScrumMaster this has been the most prevalent issues I had to deal with. It is no fun when you have to tell a resource manager you report to that they are affecting the viability of a project.

Personal Problems

All of us face time when we have family issues or have physical problems that need attention. Unfortunately our jobs may be the cause of many of our problems. Our jobs cause stress that may affect our health and our families. It is important that we create a healthy work environment that does not cause excessive stress. Employees need to have time with their families and time for recreation to keep a healthy body. A good exercise routine leads to a more productive employee and less visit to the doctor. If we keep to a 40 hour work week we will have time to spend with our families.

Lack of hardware

It in uncalled for that companies invest in adequate hardware for their employees. Niceties such as dual large monitor, powerful laptops and large disk drives are cheep compared the cost of a employee. Necessary hardware should be available to the employee without having to go through excessive red tape. Also the supporting  build and testing environments should be setup and supported from the beginning. There is no excuse for the lack of good hardware.

Lack of team synergy

So often a team is a team in name only. So often the individuals are just working on their tasks and nothing else. If they finish early they will find something that interests them to do and not even consider what other task they can work on.

In a productive team the members learn how to leverage each others strengths. They work together for a single purpose. There is no individual recognition. We as a team work together toward the goal of finishing the sprint goals. Each member makes sure they do their part by taking on available tasks.